The invention relates generally to vehicle seats and, more particularly, to vehicle seats for use in supporting a person wearing a self-contained breathing apparatus.
Emergency vehicles, such as fire trucks, are commonly equipped with seats particularly adapted for use by persons wearing a self-contained breathing apparatus. Such seats are equipped with a bracket mounted adjacent the seat back and adapted to house and support the breathing apparatus such that a person sitting in the seat can strap on the breathing apparatus. Since time is often a critical factor, these persons must be able to quickly exit from the vehicle wearing the breathing apparatus. In particular, these persons want to quickly rise and step forward from the seat while wearing the breathing apparatus without obstruction and without having to first slide forward in the seat. It is also important that the vehicle seat be strong enough to support a person wearing the breathing apparatus, and that it have a headrest to provide support for its occupant.
Some prior art vehicle seats do not allow adequate clearance for the top of the breathing apparatus strapped to the person, and a person wearing the breathing apparatus cannot quickly rise and step forward from the seat. Some prior art seats avoid this problem by not providing a head support. Other prior art seats require the occupant to slide forward before rising in order to avoid interference between the breathing apparatus and the headrest. Other prior art brackets or back rests intended to support self-contained breathing apparatus tanks are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,204,775; 3,667,714; and 3,823,907.